A 29-year-old Eritrean man carried out a knife attack inside an electronics store at a retail park in Ulm on Wednesday afternoon, seriously injuring two young employees before being shot by police during his arrest.
According to police and prosecutors, the attack occurred around 12:30 p.m. when the suspect entered the MediaMarkt store on Blaubeurer Straße, pulled out a knife, and stabbed two employees, aged 22 and 25.
According to Bild, the older victim suffered life-threatening injuries and remains in critical condition in intensive care. The 22-year-old sustained minor injuries.
Employees reportedly shouted, “Close the doors! Close the doors!” when they realized what was unfolding.
JUST IN: 🇩🇪 A suspected knife attacker at the German electronic chain "MediaMarkt" in the city of Ulm has been identified as a 29-year-old Eritrean migrant.
He is accused of stabbing a 25-year-old employee, who is facing life-threatening injuries in the ICU, while a 22-year-old… pic.twitter.com/wI0xKLsVda
— Remix News & Views (@RMXnews) January 14, 2026After the stabbing, the attacker fled the store in the direction of a nearby fast-food restaurant. Police officers located him a short time later in the immediate vicinity. In a joint statement, the Ulm Public Prosecutor’s Office, police, and the State Criminal Police Office said, “When the 29-year-old threatened the police officers with the knife and refused to drop the weapon, despite being asked to do so, the officers fired several shots at him.”
The suspect was seriously injured by police gunfire and taken to the hospital under police escort, where he is also being treated in intensive care. His condition is described as critical.
Investigators said the man is an Eritrean national with a history of criminal offenses, including violent crimes. He had been serving a prison sentence until December and was known to authorities.
Neu-Ulmer Zeitung later cited a police statement that read, “Two people were injured with a knife by a man in a shop at the retail park on Blaubeurer Straße. The perpetrator then left the shop and was arrested a short time later by arriving police officers. Firearms were discharged during the arrest. The two injured people in the shop and the perpetrator were all taken to the hospital for further treatment. The motive is still unknown.”
Eight members of the emergency chaplaincy team were deployed to support customers and staff while police officers secured evidence and conducted interviews in neighboring stores.
The State Criminal Police Office of Baden-Württemberg will lead the investigation into the police use of firearms in coordination with the Ulm Public Prosecutor’s Office, while Ulm Police Headquarters is handling the investigation into the knife attack itself.
The investigation is ongoing.
